In light of this summer’s blogging schedule I should probably rename this thing “What Was Elizabeth Cooking 8 Weeks Ago.” But here is the good news, although I’ve gone on a little blogging hiatus this summer, I haven’t stopped cooking, eating, or loving food. I also haven’t stopped taking pictures. So I’ve kept the intention of blogging…I just haven’t put it into action. Kind of like how I had the intention of going to the gym tonight but instead I ate Sprinkles cupcakes and watched The Food Network.

Anyway….back to the food. So now, although Labor Day feels like the end of summer, we do have a few more weeks of fabulous summer produce left. I’m proud to say that my meals this summer have really taken advantage of all the delicious, local, and seasonal produce summer has to offer. My favorite thing to do lately is to go to the farmers market without any semblance of a meal plan and let whatever looks delicious dictate what I”m going to make! It’s very Italian, very summery, and a very good culinary challenge. . This produce dictating the meal idea has yielded some great dishes this summer. From rainbow carrots to tri-color potato salad. From Long Island corn to eggplant rollatini, I’ve got a slew of recipes stocked up to help you soak up the last few fleeting moments of summer.

Mango Salsa topped Pork Tenderloin with Rainbow Carrots and Okra

What’s okra you ask? Well let me tell you…when I was a kid, my brother and I went to this camp in Missourri where we ate…a lot…of southern food. From biscuits to BBQ (yes that’s an actual dish down there, not a style of cooking) we were certainly fed well. And those southerners love, and I mean love their okra. And not just regular okra, fried okra. Okra is kinda like a yummy, crunchy, broccoli/squash hybrid. It’s widely available now at any northern supermarket or…you guessed it farmers market. It’s also in season in the summer and it’s so delicious on it’s own, there is really no need to fry it. Personally, I like to slice it up and roast it with some rainbow carrots for a fun pop of color. As far as the meat, the pork is marinated in a simple mixture of ginger and soy sauce and topped with some sliced up mango and red onions.

Baby Back Ribs, Sweet Corn, and Tri-Color Potato Salad

Next up we’ve got a simple, all-American, quintessentially summer meal. Ribs, corn, and potato salad. (Shout out to my friend Christine for the corn holders…best gift ever.) Making the corn is simple. If you live in the tri-state area go get Long Island sweet corn, boil it, slather it in butter, and ascend into corn heaven. If you don’t live in the tri-state area you can do what my transplanted Long Islander mom does ever since she moved to Chicago, go to Long Island, get corn, and take it on the plane with you back to Chicago. Yes the TSA will give you some odd looks, but it’s the only way to get good corn outside of New York…sorry guys the truth hurts. For the potato salad I lifted this recipe from Food and Wine which called for sweet relish in the salad. Well I didn’t have sweet relish and I don’t really like sweet relish BUT I had dill pickles and I LOVE dill pickles so I diced those up really small and subbed those in and it was out of control delishhh. The recipe called for blue potatoes and white potatoes, but I threw in some red ones as well. Now it’s patriotic…perfect for Labor Day! As for the ribs…stayed tuned for the next post, which I promise I’ll post soon! (Really this time!)

Pasta Gagoots and Turkey Sausage

This was a fun one, because aside from the pasta and cheese every piece of this meal came from the farmers market! Not only do farmers markets have an amazing selection of produce but a lot of times they also have great local meat purveyors, don’t be afraid to hit those guys up too! For this recipe I used a few kinds of summer squash (or gagoots in Italian) sliced them thinly, sauteed them with some garlic and white wine (also from the Farmers market…yup, they also sell booze!) and toss it with pasta. I topped it with some turkey sausage from a turkey farm upstate…it was so fresh and tasty and paired perfectly with the pasta. Sprinkle on some freshly grated parm and devour! What I love most about this meal is that it’s good comfort food, but still on the light and summery side. Just because it’s nice out and I have to wear a bathing suit doesn’t mean I’ve stopped craving pasta (I wish it did…but alas, life is unfair.)

Pasta Gagoots!

Eggplant Rollatini

This is a lightened up version of an Italian classic, instead of frying the eggplant pieces, I simply grilled them on my handy dandy grill pan with a little salt and pepper. It retains all of the classic flavors but it’s guilt free and meat free! You can roll up any mixture of ricotta and herbs inside the eggplant, then top with some red sauce and cheese and then bake. For a no meat meal, it’s super filling thanks to the hearty eggplant and protein from the cheese. Enjoy this on a late summer evening with a nice glass of red…ah….why can’t summer last forever…

…Stays together. Over the last two weeks I’ve had the good fortune to do lots and lots of eating and cooking with my family. From graduation parties to BBQs to a 4th of July lobster fest, we’ve done it up right. So while I’d love to go into detail about every bite of food I’ve consumed, I’m going to select a few of the standout highlights. Let’s start with last night’s LOBSTER FEST in the Hamptons. It is simply not summer until we’ve broken out our gigantic lobster steam pot and made an authentic New England clam bake. What is so great about this way of cooking is you can feed an army with very little effort.

After a full day at the beach we picked up some clams, lobsters, and farm stand vegetables. This meal is so easy to make that I was able to whip up some appetizers, take a dip in the pool, shower, mix a perfect cocktail and have dinner on the table, all before sunset. The first step is choosing the right lobster. First of all, local seafood markets are the key, I’d stay away from lobsters at the grocery store at all costs. 1 1/2 pounders are the perfect size, they retain the sweetness and flavor but offer a hefty portion size. For the clams, I’m partial to little necks, my mom prefers steamers, either will do. Into the big steamer pot you can layer a variety of things, little potatoes, corn, crab legs. Whatever is in season and tickles your fancy.

In the bottom portion of the pot, place water, lemon, garlic, and whatever spices you have on hand. Once the water is boiling, place the larger pot on top with the lobster, clams, and potatoes layered in that order. Let it steam until the clams have opened and the potatoes are fork tender. Serve with some of the broth, drawn butter, and lemon wedges. Add a big salad and some crusty bread and you have the picture perfect summer meal. Eating outside on newspaper is a must!

The next highlight of my family eating tour came at my cousin’s graduation party last weekend. The appetizer and entree spreads were amazing, it felt like there was miles of Italian food as far as the eye could see. Meats, cheeses, pizza, foccacia, seafood, pasta, chicken parm, lasagna, and the list goes on. But the dessert table, both literally and figuratively took the cake. Maybe it was the martini glasses filled with chocolate covered fruit and almonds, the 3 pounds of cannollis and pastries, or the not one but two graduation cakes. I have to admit that this table-scape put some of my event creations to shame. My uncle was beyond proud of his creation and rightly so…this guy knows how to feed a crowd. And they best part is they have seven kids, so I get to indulge in their graduation party offerings year after year.

Finally, I leave you with this simple delicacy that my sister and I perfected this weekend. The Tate’s cookies ice cream sandwich. I’ve sang Tate’s praises before I’m my blog, and I’ll say it again, they’re hands down the best cookies in the world. And when you sandwich a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream between them, they’re frickin’ outrageous. Also, look closely at the picture and enjoy the patriotic manicures we were sporting all weekend courtesy of my 15 year old cousin…what can I say, the girl’s got talent!

Also make sure you check out the not one but TWO new posts! AND Who likes the new blog look? And the new links? Also, who wants to pay me to make them lobster again…I’m hungry.

Remember me? You’re favorite foodie blogger. I know I’ve been gone for awhile and I wish I had a cool reason like I was on an African safari or surfing in Hawaii, but I’ve been working, sleeping, cooking, and neglecting my loyal readers (namely my aunt and grandma who gave me a stern talking to this weekend about the lack of updates.) To make it up to you guys I’ve revamped the blog with a new theme, new links, and not one but TWO new posts. So let’s begin. It seems that although June is home to the longest days of the year, I’ve found myself having less and less time lately. Which is why I’ve been churning out lots of 29 minute meals this month. What’s a 29 minute meal you ask? Well, it’s a BETTER version of Rachel Ray’s 30 minute meal promise, because well…it saves you a full minute! I mean come on, you’re in the bookstore and see Ray Ray’s 30 minute meals cookbook next to my 29 minute meals cook book, who would you choose??…That’s what I thought.

Teriyaki Salmon with Cous Cous and Arugula Salad

Ingredients

2 salmon steaks

Soy Vey Marinade

1 box of cous cous

Pine nuts, cranberries, feta cheese

Arugula

Shaved Parmesea

Balsamic vinaigrette

Olive Oil

Directions

Marinate the salmon steaks for 15 minutes. Meanwhile place a cast iron pan under the broiler and heat for 5 minutes until the pan is very very hot.

While the pan is heating, cook the cous cous according to the package instructions and stir in some accompaniments to jazz it up a bit! For the salad, toss the arugula and shaved parmesan and drizzle with the balsamic and olive oil for a simple, flavorful, and peppery salad.

Remove the pan from under the broiler, grease with non stick cooking spray. Place the salmon skin side down on the hot pan and return to the broiler. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until fish is light pink and flaky.

Chicken Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients

1 package of Italian-Style chicken sausage

1 green bell pepper sliced

1/2 onion sliced

Mesclun or Arugula Salad

Directions

Heat a non-stick pan over high heat. Slice the chicken sausage length-wise and saute with peppers and onions. Rotate until the sausage is cooked through and the onions are translucent. Serve with an easy salad and enjoy!

These took me about 30 minutes since I had some help from Matt on the accompaniments, but if you cut out the tricky side sauces it could be done in 29 flat! I swapped out a traditional bun for pita bread, to make it lighter and Greek-er (is that a word?) Serve with a big greek salad topped with tomatoes, onions, pepperoncini, olives, feta, and cucumbers

Chicken Parm over Spinach

So simple, but so delicious, and bonus, it’s healthy! There’s a great Italian restaurant in Matt’s town that will let you put any of their pasta dishes over spinach, and let me tell you if the dish is good enough you don’t miss the pasta. Spring for the already pounded out chicken breasts at the grocery store, it will save you a good 5 to 10 minutes. Also, I use jarred sauce in this recipe, please don’t judge, I’m a working girl and sometimes I need some timesavers.

Ingredients

1 lb. thinly sliced chicken breast

2 eggs beaten

1 cup bread crumbs

1 jar of tomato basil sauce

8 oz. shredded mozzarella

10 oz. frozen spinach

Diced onion and garlic

Directions

Dredge the chicken in egg wash, dip in breadcrumbs. Heat olive oil in a skillet, fry the chicken breasts on medium heat for 8 minutes on each side. Top with the tomato sauce and sprinkle with the cheese. Melt under the broiler for 5 minutes. As the chicken cooks, saute the onion, garlic, and defrosted spinach. Place the chicken parm on a big mound of spinach and top with shredded parmesan.

It’s officially summer! What better way to celebrate than by spending a Sunday afternoon on Governor’s Island at the 4th annual Veuve Cliquot Polo Classic?Now, when my friends and I undertake an activity, we do it up right and I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I used this as an opportunity to go to town with a ridiculously over the top picnic spread. This has to be one of my favorite Manhattan events for a few reasons. The champagne flows like water, the ferry and the match are totally FREE (an unheard of word in NYC), and it’s the perfect excuse to don a pretty dress and a giant hat and spend your entire Sunday outside with a drink in your hand.

The day began at 7 a.m. with some mimosas and last minute food preparations. By 10 a.m., we were on our way to the island to secure our spot at the front of the line to get into the polo grounds. Now, we take our polo very seriously, after learning the ropes last year, we came armed with a rolling cooler, ice cold drinks, and enough food to feed an army (a very fancy army, but an army none the less.) I even out ran (yes ran, like I said, I take this very seriously) the crowd of people to get one of the coveted tables and a front row seat for the match. (Hence the up close and personal picture above).

Now, I might not be the only person who brings a three course meal complete with serving platters and a homemade two tier cracker display on a picnic, but I’m the only person I know who does that…and I must admit, my tablescape turned some heads from onlookers. It warmed the tentacles of my party planning heart and I was brimming with pride. (Hey, at least I can admit it right?) But what I enjoyed even more than getting my ego stroked was feeding all my hungry friends and knocking back glasses of Veueve all afternoon. We started with an over flowing cheese and fruit platter and the most insanely delicious 7 layer dip I’ve ever had. Now traditionally, 7 layer dip is a Mexican dish, layered with beef, beans, tomatoes, sour cream, jalapenos, cheese, and guacamole. But my friend Christine found this amazing recipe for a Mediterraean style dip, which swaps out the Mexican ingredients for hummus, olives, roasted red peppers, artichokes, green onions, greek yogurt, and feta. Honestly, it puts its Mexican counter part to shame, and is much, much healthier. Christine came up from Philly the day before polo and we spent the whole afternoon menu planning, grocery shopping, and cooking up a storm. You see Christine and I both LOVE LOVE LOVE to cook and entertain, but we have very different styles of cooking. She is a recipe girl through and through, where as I either like to invent a dish from scratch or use the recipe as a jumping off point and create my own concoction. But for this meal, we went with Christine’s philosophy and chose the recipe route for almost all of our dishes. Despite our differing culinary styles, we make an exceptional team. Her knife skills are killer and she can bang out a recipe faster than Rachel Ray. But the best part about cooking with her is that I have a buddy in the kitchen to chat with, laugh with, and of course drink wine with. (By the way, I’m hoping all this flattery guilts her into moving to New York.)

So onto the picnic’s main course. Like I said, we went pretty recipe heavy…my mom’s BBQ chicken, my favorite mesclun salad with cranberries, walnuts, and blue cheese, Jen’s corn salsa, Katie’s macaroni salad, and for dessert, Ina Garten’s brownies. The food was so good, I almost forgot we had a polo game to watch! Maybe the best part about this whole activity (aside from the magnums of champagne being consumed like bottles of water) is that polo is a really fun and exciting game to watch. It moves fast and is basically just like field hockey, you hit a ball with a wooden stick until it goes in a goal, except you’re on a horse. Which makes it even cooler! It was the absolute perfect weekend. Cooking with Christine, drinking champagne, watching polo and feeding all our well dressed friends!

Recipes

7 Layer Dip

Christine pulled this recipe up on her fancy iPad from a Whole Food recipes app and now I can’t find it online. So basically layer hummus, then chopped roasted red peppers, then artichokes, greek yogurt with some lemon juice, sliced green onions, then olvies, and finally top with feta.

My Mom’s BBQ Chicken

Okay so basically, this is just drumsticks and thighs, marinated in your favorite BBQ sauce and grilled. The reason it’s my mom’s is because I always remember her making this for picnics. She’d make it early in the day, wrap it in aluminum foil and then we’d eat it room temperature at our picnic. And it’s perfection, it’s hearty, it’s delicious, it’s my mommy’s chicken.

My Favorite Salad

Take a mesclun salad mix, add dried cranberries, walnuts, and blue cheese. Mix equal parts white balsamic and olive oil, emulsify and drizzle over the top. (Yes I brought homemade dressing to a picnic…deal with it)

Katie’s Macaroni Salad

It’s so simple, but that’s what makes it so perfect

Ingredients

1 lb. elbow macaroni

4 celery stalks diced

1/2 red onion finely diced

Mayo – to taste

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Mix and try not to eat the whole thing in one sitting

Jen’s Corn Salsa

I had this for the first time at my friend Jen’s graduation party and I ate an embarrassing amount that day. Ever since then I have been making this for every picnic, BBQ, or just because I’m craving it.

Ingredients

2 cans of corn

1 can of kidney beans – rinsed

1 orange, 1 red, 1 green pepper – diced

1/2 red onion – diced

1/4 cup vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp Tiger Sauce (if you can find it, but the dish is awesome without it too)

You haven’t lived until you tried these. Matt’s dad worships them, my diabetic friend will prepare for days to eat them, my mom who “hates sweets” could polish off a tray. They’re insanely rich, they’re ridiculously decadent, I mean come on – the recipe calls for a pound of butter! And I don’t want to talk about the fact that I came home from the gym last night and ate one.

So people (and by people I mean our Moms) often ask Matt what it’s like to get to eat all of the blog posts on a daily basis. In fact, Matt’s eating adventures even inspired his friend Tom to start a spin-off blog chronicling what Matt is eating now. But every so often, (warning this next statement is going to be shocking) I don’t feel like cooking. And that’s when Chef Matt steps in. Last night was one of those nights, and when Matt rode in like my knight in shining gym clothes toting D’Agostino’s bags full of groceries, I poured myself a glass of wine, turned on Bravo and let him work some magic in the kitchen.

He was making one of his favorite dishes he picked up while studying abroad in Rome, chicken saltimbocca. Traditional chicken saltimbocca is made with a thinly pounded out chicken cutlet layered with prosciutto and cheese. Matt decided to do a healthier version and swapped out the cheese for spinach. (Well, he had a little help from Giada for the spin on the dish.) The whole thing is rolled up, browned in a skillet and then poached in some chicken broth and lemon juice. It’s perfectly salty from the proscuitto, and nicely balanced with the lemon sauce. It tastes healthy and decadent at the same time. There’s something so perfect about a really rich bite, followed immediately by something light, crisp, and tangy. For the accompainiment I suggested we use up the leftover arugula from the Monday night, shave some parm on top and finish it with a little drizzle of olive oil and white balsamic. The salad was so perfect I wanted seconds…of a vegetable! This is certainly new territory.

For dessert we had another Roma specialty. Prosciutto e melone. It’s salty, it’s sweet. It’s a classic for a resason…because it’s absolutely perfection.

Ah Memorial Day Weekend…a time to honor our country, remember those who have served in our armed forces, and EAT all of the summer food you can get your hands on. Ok, so maybe that last part is just my own personal interpretation. I wanted to spend the weekend in the deserted city, eating out without having to wait, going to touristy places without it being a mob scene, and doing all the New York-y things I never have time to do. First up was just a night in to hang out and watch the Netflix DVD that had been sitting in our apartment for over a month. The movie was Sideways, so I paired it with a few bottles of really good wine and fully stocked antipasti platter.

The next day I used the same antipasti ingredients to make a bangin’ sandwich for a picnic in the park. My hands down favorite thing to bring on a picnic has to be a muffaletta sandwich. It starts with a hollowed out bread bowl, that’s layered with different Italian meats and cheese, roasted red peppers, and olive tapenade. It travels well and the longer it sits, the more the flavors develop. The key to a relaxing picnic is making the food and transport easy on yourself.

The muffaletta is like a meal on its own, so all you need to do is add some chips and dip, some Tate’s chocolate chip cookies and ice cold drinks, and you’re set for a day in the park. Tate’s Cookies are a Southampton original that I grew up on. My family has been obsessed with all of the baked goods that the owner Kathleen has been churning out since before I was born. It’s now a national brand and you can get them everywhere from Manhattan to California. The next time you see these in the grocery store, take my advice and stop. drop. and buy ’em!

After hours in the sun I was ready to go home an indulge in a tradition that no holiday weekend is complete without, COCKTAIL TIME! My current cocktail obession is the alcoholic version of the golfing classic the Arnold Palmer. Half iced tea, half lemonade (or sparkling lemonade) and a hefty shot of vodka over ice. It’s tart, it’s slightly sweet, and it’s oh so refreshing. Whether it’s nightime, daytime, on the beach, the golf course, or even your air conditioned couch, this is the ultimate summer drink. Add some fresh mint for a pretty garnish.

My last culinary triumph of the weekend was the fake little BBQ I threw together on Monday night. Despite having a great time in the empty concrete jungle where dreams are made of, I have to admit I was longing for some all-American grilin’. First off, it’s not summer until you kick off your BBQ with a big batch of clams. These clams had a little something extra, they were cooked in bacon fat…if that’s not American I don’t know what is.

After the clams came some big juicy burgers and sausage pasta salad. Now, I don’t mean to brag, but I make amazing burgers. The secret is something I’m sort of embarassed to admit. But we’re all friends here right? Okay, deep breathe…Montreal Steak Seasoning. GASP. I know, I know this is like that time in Legally Blonde when the fitness instructor admitted she had liposuction. It’s emabarrassing, because generally I frown upon (okay turn my nose up at) anything pre-mixed or pre-packaged, especially sodium laden short cuts that not only cheat you out of flavor and the fun of making something yourself. But also cost wayyy more than if you started from scratch. That being said, this stuff makes burgers sing…and I’ve tried making it myself, it’s just not the same. The last piece of this puzzle was a tomato, arugula, and farfalle pasta topped with Kalamata olives and grilled sausage. SUMMER. IN. A. BOWL. Warm or cold, sprinkled with some Parmiggiano Regiano, it’s off the charts amazing. In fact, it’s got so much flavor that you could probably omit the grilled sausage if you’re trying to go healthy (cough cough Laurie Malinowski cough cough.)

Recipe Time

The Muffaletta

There are a MILLION ways to make this sandwich, but this is MY way cause it’s MY blog!🙂

Ingredients

1/4 lb prosciutto

1/4 lb hot sopresstta

1/4 lb pancetta

1/4 provolone cheese

1/4 lb fresh mozarella

Olive tapenade

Roasted red peppers

Sourdough bread round

Directions

Cut horizontally, the top fourth of the bread round (basically cut off a “lid”) and hallow it out (you can save the inside to feed to the ducks on your picnic! And don’t judge me for being so lame.)

Spread the olive tapenade on the bottom of the bread round, layer the meat cheese and red peppers until you’ve reached the top. Spread another layer of the olive tapenade. Put the lid back on the bread and the sandwich cut into fourths. Keep the sandwich in the circular shape, it travels best this way, and wrap in foil.

Clams a la Elizabeth

Ingredients

1/2 lb of bacon diced

5 cloves diced garlic

1/4 cup white wine

1 1/2 lb littleneck or manilla clams

Directions

In a large frying pan, cook the bacon until crispy. Add the garlic and saute until just golden. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. While the pan is on high add the clams. Cover and allow the clams to steam until they’ve all opened. Toss the clams with the bacon and wine sauce…meditate on how glorious bacon and wine sauce is going to taste…and then eat it

Burgers

Combine a pound of 80% lean ground beef, with 2 tbsp. worcestershire, 3 or 4 cloves of diced garlic, and 1 tbsp. of Montreal steak seasoning. Form into patties, grill, top with cheese, bun it up.

Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 lb. farfalle pasta

1/2 lb. sweet sausage and 1/2 lb. spicy sausage

2-3 cloves of diced garlic

8 oz. arugula, chopped

Baby heirloom tomatoes, quarterd

Pitted Kalamata olives

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, cook until al dente. Meanwhile grill the sausages until no longer pink inside. Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute garlic until lightly golden. Add the arugula and saute until wilted. Add the tomatoes just long enough for the heat to pop the tomatoes. Add the olives, cooked sausage, and pasta. Toss to combine.

Why steak? Well my mind’s already in Memorial Day weekend mode and I have visions of BBQ-d deliciousness dancing in my head. That coupled with the fact that when I was at the butcher today I could literally hear the porterhouse steak speaking to me.

“But I’m so large that you could that you could split me over the course of two nights and stretch a buck”

“Even if I did that, its STILL over my protein budget”

“But look at my marbling, come on, I’m two steaks in one!”

“Yes I know you come with fantastic marbling and both a filet and a strip steak on the bone which makes for extra juicy depth of flavor from the strip steak and perfect tenderness from the filet…but I can’t ”

“Yes you can…”

I think we all know how this ended. So I decided I’d give into to my grilling urges and despite living in a Manhattan apartment where grills on fire escapes and terraces are STRICKLY forbidden, I still found a way to grill up a perfect porterhouse. (By the way I have a sneaking suspicion that by summers end I will have tried and failed to put a mini grill on my fire escape…stay tuned…) But for now I have my kick ass cast iron grill pan. You might recognize her (yes it’s a her, I figured I made the porterhouse a boy so the grill pan should be a girl, cause in a few sentences you’re going to see them fall in love) from previous posts. She’s my little helper in the kitchen. Matt’s mom got her for me for…absolutely no reason…it was the best present I’ve ever gotten. We went back to Jersey one weekend and Mrs. M was just like “oh, hey, I saw this cast iron grill pan and got it for you”…I almost cried.

So take an enormous steak…the more it resembles the piece of meat that flipped The Flinstones’ car, the better. Rub it with olive oil and liberally season with salt and pepper.

Add the steak, sear it for 2-3 minutes and then rotate it 90 degrees…that’s how you get those perfect grill marks. Repeat on the other side. Let rest for about 10 minutes so the juices redistribute

Plate with some veggies and potatoes. EAT IT and don’t feel guilty about the price per pound.

Recipes

For the veggies I made roasted vegetable Napoleons. Slice baby eggplant, zuchinni, and yellow squash, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stack, skewer with a toothpick. Roast in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes

For the fingerling potatoes. I love these little baby potatoes because they cook fast, have slightly sweet taste, and they remind me of my mom. I know it’s weird, but she loves these and we’d always buy them at the farmers market in the summer. Simply toss them in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes…hmm sounds familiar.